Iowa has been a tough opponent for Penn State football. They have won eight out of the past 10 meetings with the Nittany Lions, including the soul-crushing victory two years ago that kept Penn State from a possible national championship game. This year’s match-up proved to be no different, as they easily defeated Penn State 24-3.

Coach Joe Paterno said, “I don’t think we played quite as well as I thought we should.” He added, “We’re not a really poised team yet.”

The problems started right away for Penn State as Iowa moved the ball 77 yards on their opening drive and kicked a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. Safety Nick Sukay intercepted Iowa on their second drive, but the defense could not hold Iowa for long. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi found a wide-open receiver in the back of the end zone with one minute left in the first quarter to put Iowa up 10-0.

After gaining a total of one yard in the first quarter, Penn State finally began to move the ball offensively in the second quarter. Right before the half, quarterback Rob Bolden completed a 46-yard pass to Brett Brackett. With six seconds left on the clock and one timeout, Penn State decided to spike the ball, causing three seconds to run off the clock, leaving a field goal as the only option.

It looked like Paterno may be been trying to call timeout, but play went on. “The officials got that all screwed up,” Paterno said.

The second half was really all about Penn State’s opening possession. The Nittany Lions were able to drive 70 yards down to the Iowa one-yard line. On 4th down, Penn State elected to go for a touchdown, but Bolden was stopped inches from the goal-line. The action stalled from this point until the very end of the game when the Hawkeyes intercepted Bolden and scored a touchdown late to win 24-3.

Penn State had a few missed opportunities, but the result was never in doubt. Iowa thoroughly dominated the Nittany Lions and ended Penn State’s hopes for a third year in a row.

Other notes:

• Tight end Gary Gilliam went down with an injury in the second quarter. Paterno said he thinks it’s an ACL injury.
• It was Iowa’s homecoming; they had an interesting color scheme for the stadium with sections alternating in black and gold.
• Punter Anthony Fera displayed amazing inconsistency. His shortest punt went for 12 yards while his longest was 74 yards.